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OCC E3 2013 Awards

Best Fighting Game

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Winner: Tekken Revolution (PS3)

The Tekken series is one of the longest running fighting series around, with countless games released over the past two decades. Tekken Revolution is the newest entry and its also the most unique, as it's a free-to-play fighting game. A total of eight fighters are available right from the get-go, with four more available to unlock as you play. More characters are planned to arrive via future updates, so if your favorite isn't available now, just give it some time. Three modes are available to play - Arcade, Online Player, and Online Ranked - with tokens being given for players to head into each. Tokens are awarded every couple of hours, but you can also purchase them directly through the PlayStation Store. It's entirely possible to not have to spend any money if you take your time and wait for the free tokens to accrue.

Tekken Revolution changes things up from the series outside of being F2P, as characters can now level up via an XP system. XP can be spent in the Power, Endurance, and Vigor categories, which boost your offense, defense, and critical hit/health required for Rage mode, respectively. It's a way to help make your fighter better and to keep players coming back for more, and I have to say it's a great addition. New mechanics like Special Arts and Critical Arts are designed to help new players get more skilled, while the Bound mechanic, where players can stagger others, has been removed. The only way to stagger someone now is through various stage interactions, like falling a distance.

Visually, Tekken Revolution doesn't quite stack up to the recent Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and it does lack cinematics. Then again, it's a free-to-play fighting game that comes in at 1.8GB, so some sacrifices had to be made to make it easier to download. It's still a fantastic entry in the series, and hopefully the wave of the future for fighting games. Provided there's a good selection of characters to choose from right away, which is something Tekken Revolution thankfully delivers.

Runner-Up: Super Smash Bros. (Wii U, 3DS)

I'm a huge fan of the Smash Bros. series, but for me the newest entry just doesn't quite make its way to the winner's circle. Don't get me wrong, It's fantastic to see the series on both the Wii U and 3DS, plus the addition of Mega Man, but there's just something about it that doesn't do enough for me. Seeing the game in HD on the Wii U is going to be sweet, as will the cel-shaded style on the 3DS, but maybe it's the fact there's no cross-platform play between the two. I understand the lack of it is because the Wii U version has stages based on console games and the 3DS' on handheld games, it just seems rather odd to have that excuse. Character customizations will transfer between the two, just we have no idea what that means. It won't be costumes or features, so it's anyone's guess as to what customizations are transfering.

Maybe Nintendo couldn't get cross-platform play perfect between the two systems and decided to ax it in favor of the transferable character customizations. Whatever the reason behind it, I can't comfortably put the new Super Smash Bros. as my winner, despite my love of the series.

ClayMeow

Winner: Super Smash Bros. (Wii U, 3DS)

I hate myself for picking Super Smash Bros. I mean, I've always loved the series, but honestly, it's just the same rehashed game every time. Whether it's Melee or Brawl, does it really matter? This new version for the Wii U and 3DS adds Mega Man, which is super awesome, but is it enough? Well there's always the Villager from Animal Crossing and the... Wii Fit Trainer. WTF?! Yep, out of all the iconic characters Nintendo could have chosen, they go with a generic female.

While Super Smash Bros. is coming to both Wii U and 3DS, each game will feature different stages. The Wii U version will feature stages designed after Nintendo's console games, while the 3DS version will features stages designed after Nintendo's handheld games. Director Masahiro Sakurai claims that because each version will feature different stages, there will be no cross-platform play, though you will be able to transfer custom characters. Sounds like a cop-out to me. When the Wii U was first unveiled, cross-platform play with the 3DS was touted as a feature and Super Smash Bros. was mentioned as a franchise that could take advantage of it. Sounds to me like Nintendo realized it didn't have the technology and infrastructure to handle cross-platform play and thus introduced different levels to provide an excuse. Lame.

Runner-Up: Tekken Revolution (PS3)

Tekken Revolution may be the newest Tekken game, but its most intriguing feature is that it's free-to-play. At release, last week, eight characters were provided for free, playable in Arcade Mode (vs. Computer) and Online Mode. Though Killer Instinct and Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters will also be free-to-play, Tekken is the first fighter I know of that has adopted the model. With its huge roster of characters, fighting games seem perfect for the free-to-play model, so it may not be long before we see other franchises join the craze. In fact, since many players tend to focus on just one or two main characters, being able to cherry-pick characters they want to spend money for actually makes sense. Due to the innovative free-to-play model, I was tempted to choose Tekken Revolution over Super Smash Bros., but I know I would personally enjoy the latter more. Not that I'd ever by a Wii U or 3DS.